Love is a Battlefield
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: He goes to war, to protect his home. He goes to war to save his friends. He goes to fufill his end. Together with his friends, Ichigo Kurosaki will finally face his destiny. IchigoxMashiro. Action, Gore, Fluff, flashbacks, character death and angst.
1. March of the Mask

The door caved in with a solid crunch, and Hacchi winced as Ichigo stepped past him.

"Ah!" Mashiro gave a small, delighted cry as Ichigo walked into sight, battered, wounded, but overall, very, _very_ pissed. However, the ever energetic vizard didn't seem to notice that fact. "You're back!"

Her eyes lit up as he stepped through the doorframe, a gorgeous white grin streaking across her mouth as she stood and ran to him like a child welcoming her father home from a long business trip. He could only stand dumbfounded as her lithe form slid gracefully across the room to him.

"It's Berry boy!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a squeal. Still in his state of shock, it took Ichigo a moment to react and place his own arms around the thin waist of his fellow exile. He buried his face in her neck, enjoying the warmth of her alabaster skin on his cheeks and the lemony scent of her hair in his nostrils. He felt her arms tighten around him and her breathing quickened, her small breasts heaving up and down against his chest.

After almost a full minute, they pulled away from one another, his amber eyes looking deeply into hers. "Hey." His glare softened slightly at the sight of the ever exuberant vizard. How Kensei was so rattled by her antics he could never understand, but there was just something about Mashiro Kuna that he found so very, _very_ endearing.

She wore an expression of childish glee on her face as she returned his gaze, her grin turning slightly soft, as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

His mind exploded into white as his arms took control, spreading themselves across her back. He was so completely taken by her kiss that he hardly noticed when his left hand began to cup her ass and his right palm took up residence on her jaw. He deepened the kiss as he pressed his body against hers, pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her hands were just as explorative, her nimble fingertips running along his chest and stomach...

"Blech, save it you two!"

The two hybrids shared the brief, heated embrace a moment longer, then finally broke apart under Hiyori's piercing glare. Kensei could be seen standing to the far left, silently seething at the scene.

Reluctantly, Ichigo disentangled himself from Mashiro. He'd come here for a reason, the reason he wasn't in Hueco Muendo, the reason Ishida and Chad, maybe even Renji and Rukia, were probably getting themselves killed, even now.

"Where's Shinji?"

"Whatsamatter, Ichigo?" The strawberry turned at the voice, and found his target sitting on a nearby scaffold. The leader of the visored gave a small yawn, then ceased the twirling of his cap as Ichigo advanced on him. "Ya look like you've got something on yer-

Without warning, Ichigo burried his fist in the blonde's face.

"Gwah!"

With a loud crunch, Shinji fell from his perch, and into the ground, several stories below the abandoned building. Ichigo leapt after him, Zangetsu drawn and crying for blood, but before he could even reach the blond, laughter reached his ears, giving him pause as he landed.

"Oi! What's so damn funny, huh?! Why the hell did you have Hacchi drag me outta Hueco Muendo?!"

"Bout damn time." Shinji grinned, flashing a pearly white smile from beneath matted blond bangs. "Ya see," With a grunt, the lanky ex captain hoisted himself out of the rubble and grabbed his zanpaktou from the ground.

Briefly, his sight swept over his fellows, but as his gaze settled on Ichigo, all joviality faded from Shinji's smile, replaced by the serious, seasoned expression of a seasoned military officer. Shouldering his blade, sheathe and all, Shinji Hirako spoke.

"_We_ were waiting for _you, _Ichigo."

"Huh?" The former ryoka blinked, drew his hand away from forming the mask. "You were-

"You heard him, gaki." Love nodded, jerking a thumb toward the door, a small smirk forming at Ichigo's own stunned, befuddled, and overall complexicated expression. "Hacchi got you here, so heal and saddle up. We've got a world to save."

As one, the remaining visored rose.

"Let's roll."

--

"Oi!" A voice cut through the confusion, and sense of hopelessness that had enveloped the captain's. The arrancar paused suddenly, equally aware of the reaitsu warring about them.

Still, the disembodied voice beckoned.

"I think that's enough, don't you think so, Aizen?"

Abruptly, the air sudden tore itself apart, spreading a tooth filled spatial abyss that the shinigami knew all too well. Now, the dark whirling cracks in the sky opened, parted, revealing one, two, three, four..._five_..._six_..._seven_..._eight_...

_Nine garaganta._

Ichigo Kurosaki, wearing the tattered remains of what looked like a captain's haori, stepped into view, followed by Shinji Hirako and the rest of the visored. The hybrids emerged directly between Aizen and the espada.

Each was geared for battle, zanpaktou drawn, and held at the ready.

Nine visored, for three espada, four if you counted that other one and even more with all their fraccion milling about. Not to mention Ichimaru, Tousen, and Aizen himself.

Hiyori muttered something about it being pathetic that the shinigami had been getting their asses kicked all the way to next week, and that the old man and the rest captains' sucked just as bad.

Ichigo cast a glance to some of the shinigami, who looked both relieved, and alarmed at the same time to see them. As his gaze swept over the battle weary captains, it became a scowl at captain Yamamoto.

"Don't think for a second, that we're your allies old man." That being said, he brought his attention back to the matter at hand. With a burning glare, the vizard spoke, directing the full force of his spiritual pressure towards the traitors'.

"We're here to end this, Aizen."

Sosuke smiled gently, but said nothing.

The giant creature behind him reared back its head, and spat forth a mass of intagible liquid. Upon exposure to the air, the black goop took the form of many menos grande, something Ichigo and the visored remained unfazed at.

As one, each vizard reached to his/her face.

Shinji donned his mask first, followed by the other's.

"Attack!"

**Don't worry, explanations will be given soon enough, for now just enjoy the fight. Next time: War in Karakura! Reminiscing flashback on the battlefield!**


	2. Dios ruego nos perdone

___**Dios ruego nos perdone**_

_**Note: Each chapter will start with a flashback henceforth, until the secret behind Ichigo's sudden relationship with Mashiro is explained.**_

_(Flashback)_

"Um, berry boy?"

"Eh?" Ichigo looked up from his cot, surprised to see Mashiro here. He didn't really know her that well, other than the fact that she was as infamous for throwing hissy fits as Hiyori was for swearing.

"I had a nightmare and...um...well... I was....kinda wondering if i could sleep with you tonight." She said while playing with a lock of her bright green hair.

"Uh…well…" said Ichigo, at a loss for words. Sleep with him? Talk about random, but then again, Mashiro Kuna was well known for being a spazz as much as a very outspoken and curious person. When he didn't answer, neither did she, and he was just about to doze off when she spoke again.

"_Please_ Berry Boy." She begged, her amber eyes shining, the only visible aspect of her in the dimly lit room. "I'm scared."

"Uh… Alright." Ichigo, realizing he would get no peace, relented pulling the covers off himself and moving over to make plenty of room for her. She plopped delightedly down with a soft squeal and plowed under the covers.

"Thanks Berry Boy." She said happily to him.

"Meh." Ichigo shrugged, closing his eyes, not particularly caring-

"Can I get a glass of water?"

His brow twitched.

"Are you kidding me?"

_(End flashback)_

--

As one, the vizards' plowed into the gillian. Ichigo was the first to find his target, with _Zangetsu _splitting mask of his target. He barely even noticed as Mashiro vaulted over him, digging into the mask of the second nearest menos with her signature:

"Mashiro Kiiiiick!"

The ryoka gave a small chuckle, and kept after her.

With a low roar, Love ripped apart another hapless Gillian, literally, as its head split apart. whilst Lisa and Hiyori made quick work of the enemy on their side as well. Suddenly, the gillain turned, paused, then opened there wide, gaping maws.

Golden black eyes narrowed at the hail of _cero_ barreling towards them.

_"Getsuga...._

Again, Ichio swung, but instead of slashing, his arc brought his blade straight up, pointing towards the heavens.

_...Kurogane!"_

A wall of black now sprang from his blade and the clouds themselves, createing a mile long wall of light. Moments later, the menos returned fire their hail of _cero's_ slamming into the barrier. Thankfully, they, dissipated on impact.

Just as the ominous crescent cut through the void it had left, ripping into them.

Five down.

"Imaple her, Shinso."

Recognizing the voice, Ichigo spun, snagging the blade before it could pierce Mashiro's chest. His palm bled from the effort, but he grunted and held on tight all the same.

Mashiro winced and looked up, to see Ichigo standing over her.

"Th-Thanks...She gulped nervously.

Ichigo extended a hand to her, while the other still gripped the elongated tip of the zanpaktou..

"No problem."

"Whatsamatter?" Ichigo leered, a sardonic grin pulling at his face. "That all ya got?"

"Oh, no no no." Ichimaru chanted, holding Shinso outward, the back of of the wazikashi briefly scraping the underside of his wrist as he traced the bleeding index finger down its tip, creating a thin line of purple mist from the blood. "That will never do."

When the mist had enshrouded both blade and body, the foxfaced captain opened his eyes, the smile fading from his face as he uttered but one single word.

_"Bankai."_

All at once, Ichigo made two very, very important observations. One, the roof upon which they were standing, was going to give way, and two-

He was at the epicenter of an impending shockwave, with no time to seek shelter.

"Mashiro!" He bellowed, pushing her aside. "Move!"

Digging himself out of the rubble, Ichigo cursed himself for leaving Gin the opening, for goading him into using his second release. He'd forgotten, after all this time, how could he have _forgotten_? Gin was, had been, a captain of the thirteen court guard.

Of _course_ he had bankai.

"Tch." Ichigo gawked as Ichimaru strode out of the smoke, brandishing a fearful weapon, the kind seen only in your deepest, darkest nightmare. The possibility of death had now become very, very real.

_"Hateshiganai Shinsō." _Ichimaru declared quietly, his sword now a long pike, roughly half the length of his body, inlaid with what looked like pulsating lines coiled about its pommel and tip.

Around his left, dangled a rich inlaid cloth, though its purpose remained unknown.

It was black, darker than the edge of the night itself, but that was not the focus of Ichigo's terror. Those lines, weren't mere markings. Painted lines didn't breathe.

They were...moving.

They had _eyes_.

Ichigo shuddered in a mixture of revulsion and fear as they reared their heads.

Snakes. King cobra, Black Momba, python ever serpent imaginable seemed to coil about the rusted pike, as if the metal base had long since been their home.

There was even a large Anaconda draped across Gin's neck.

With a sibilant hiss, one of the serpent's hissed at him.

Gin was the one to laugh, now, a cruel, cold sound that didn't sound at all contrite, but filled with ruthless sarcasm. "Oops, I'm so _sorry, _I interrupted you, didn't I?"

That being said, he brandished the pike, its cold edge scraping against the rooftop as he marched toward the gobsmacked vizard ."You were saying something about _finishing_ this, right?"

Suddenly, he jammed the pike into the ground, and each snake gave a loud, deadly hiss, much louder than the last.

"Yow!" Ichigo yelped, for the moment Gin pierced the earth, his feet felt like they were on _fire_. Inhaling sharply, the vizard propelled himself backward, only to feel a sharp pain in his hip.

He'd been stabbed from midair.

But Gin hadn't even _moved_.

"Ya might wanna watch yer feet, Kurosaki."

Ichigo stared at the ground, watching as the blade pulled away, and soil beneath his feet disintegrated into nothingness, leaving a dead and empty void that was as much cold as it was lifeless.

"How very rude of me." The fox faced captain exclaimed with a dramatic sigh, looking on as the devastating technique took hold. "I haven't even explained what my sword can do."

"W-What the-

"Shikyo Fuchi." Gin explained with a grin. "Shinso takes my reaitsu and solidifies it into a tangible substance, which I can manipulate and pass through as I please."

With a swift motion, he threw his arm forward, and again duplicated a similair feat. But now, the black void stretched slightly large, and its creator jumped through the adjacent portal to his right.

There was a rush of wind, and the attack came.

Ichigo lurched back, the tip of Shinso grazing his cheek. But as he staggered back half a step, another attack came, this one from above, the pike extending to take an inch or so off skin off his forearm.

"See?" Gin remarked airily, stepping out of the air itself, the hole snapping shut behind him the moment his foot left the ledge. "I can attack ya from all directions, and-

With the cloth, Gin gestured towards the hole.

"Trust me, you _don't_ wanna fall in there."

With his free hand, the traitor reached up to brush the crimson stained hair from his eyes, uncaring as thin rivulets of blood ran down his cheek. Now, waving his hand, Ichimaru made a throat cutting motion. "If ya do, its game over, Kurosaki."

"D-Damnit!" Ichigo lurched back, finding it difficult just to stand. He hadn't expected this kind of power, and from the looks of it, the other visored were far too busy to come to his aid.

He'd be doing this alone.

Whether Ichimaru was aware of the fear he'd instilled in the vizard would remain to be seen. With a flick of his wrist, he yanked the pike out of his spin, and sidestepping Ichigo's desperate stab, thrust forward with one of his own.

Ichigo, his arms, his _bones_, his very being, _rattled_ from the impact and he hissed in surprise. He trembled once more, and Gin chuckled, bringing the pike's backedge around to counter.

Ichigo was too surprised to move. The spike plowed through him, strangling the scream's his lungs gave out in protestation, heaving his body to the ground, and through the wall.

Gin muttered a high level hado spell and the lightning brought the bulding down around the helpless vizard.

High above, Mashiro stared at the rubble in horror. With a quick swipe of her hand, she removed the mask to see, revealing wide eyes, and skin turned white from fear.

"Don't be surprised." Smiled Gin as he saw her panic stricken visage. "You and yer buddies aren't gonna-

_"Blow 'em away!"_

A light blue blur rushed through the air, colliding sollidly with Ichimaru's shoulder. With a startled grunt, Gin lurched back, reeling as the fist slid into his face, crumpling the nose inward on itself. The momentum was too much to bear, and so Gin Ichimaru was throwin into the building he had just occupied a moment ago.

A sharp, distorted laugh carried across the air.

"Sorry pal, if _anybody's_ gonna kick his ass, its gonna be me."

"Kensei!" Mashiro gave an giddy squeal as her former captain proudly stepped into view, his _Tachikaze_ spitting sparks from the attack.

The former captain smirked, fingers sliding over the white porcelain mask, removing it with a single swipe.

"Yeah, I got it. Now get outta here, ya little twerp."

As if on cue, Gin burst out of the rubble.

"Oh ho." He snickered, brushing some dust from his face, tossing aside his ruined haori. "I didn't know the two of you were on such good terms."

"Nah, me and that bastard aren't exactly on good terms." Kensei cast a glance to the debris for emphasis, then returned his attention to the situation at hand. The smile deepened into a frown, then a scowl.

"But _I've_ been itching for payback, you little shit!"

A sudden surge of _reiatsu_ silenced anything Gin might've said. His smile shattered briefly, as the spiritual pressure snapped, cracked, and became something entirely different, something like....

An espada's.

_"Bankai!" _With a sharp crack, debris flew, and Ichigo emerged, very much alive.

And very pissed.

"Oh?" Gin smiled cruelly. "I thought you were dead."

"_Do I look dead?" _came Ichigo's reply as he stood from the rubble caused by the explosion_. _His Vizard mask was on once more, the red and white streaks lining the left side of his face while the right half remained gone, shattered by the blast. His clothing was tattered slightly and his left sleeve was completely gone, but Tensa Zangetsu remained in his iron grip. His gold and black eyes were still burning on the amused man ahead of him.

"I see," Gin said as he regarded his Shinigami opponent with a small quirk of the lips. "So you used your hollow mask to strengthen your _reiatsu_ and block my attack."

Ichigo said nothing as he lifted his left hand up to the exposed side of his face. With a swift movement, the missing half of his mask re-grew as he waved his palm over it, the white bone moving like milk as it molded itself into a ghastly skull.

"Oi, Kensei. You aren't gonna stay outta this if I ask, are you?"

Kensei glared at Ichigo for a moment, then glanced up at Mashiro, whose attention had once more shifted to Ichigo. For some strange reason, this irritated him. With a low growl, he too redonned his mask.

"Fuck no. I called dibs on this guy first."

"Good." Ichigo grinned, extending a hand, which Kensei reluctantly replied to, and the two bumped fists. "I hate to say it, but I think I'm gonna need the help this time."

"Rookie." Kensei muttered under his breath.

"Bastard." Ichigo countered with a snarl.

"Tousen, do me a favor." Gin said without taking his eyes off Ichigo or Kensei, "keep the lieutenant out of our way."

Kaname frowned at this, but nodded after a glance from Aizen. "Very well."

The former captain charged at Mashiro, spurring the startled girl to vanish in a burst of _shunpo. _Tousen scoffed, watched as she reappeared in the distance, and unsheathed his _Suzumushi_.

"Running already?" he said and scowled. "How _pathetic."_

The shinigami vanished in a flash, the buzz of his _sonido _tearing into the air for only a second and hardly interrupting the silence that was being held by the other two combatants. Ichigo's glare continued to harden as the seconds ticked by, his fury at witnessing Ichimaru's cruelty building and burning within him.

Gin smirked, knowingly.

"Oh, are you _angry_?" he asked, the mockery all but dripping from his voice. "It's a shame really, Tousen's probably gonna kill her before you can even think about killin'-

"_Shut the fuck up!" _Ichigo yelled, his voice distorted by the surge of hollow _reiatsu _that erupted from his body. Kensei remained silent, but was no less calm, rushed forward as well, blue light shrouding Tachikaze, mimicking Ichigo, a black and crimson sheet of energy wrapping itself around his blade as the duo closed the distance that seperated them from Ichimaru.

"Oh my," Gin said softly and with a smile, the words almost inaudible as Ichigo and Kensei neared, becoming little more than an intangible blur of shunpo as they zigzagged towards him.

"I might have my hands full with this one."


	3. The Shadow's Return

He was going to die and he couldn't even see it coming.

Hisagi was on the ground, completely surrounded by the frightful darkness of Tousen Kaname's _bankai. _He couldn't see or hear the blood as it rushed out of his body, but he could still feel the vital fluid as it pooled around him and grew cold. _Kazeshini _had reverted back into a regular katana, the shinigami who wielded it too weak to maintain its released from.

He'd barely pulled out a win against Findor Carias, and now, now he wasn't even on his last legs. He was lower than that, unable to so much as twitch a finger.

All this for some vizard girl he didn't even know.

Hisagi vaguely recalled that Zaraki Kenpachi was able to overcome Tousen's _Enma Kourogi, _but the brutal captain of the eleventh squad had never come out with the exact tactic he'd used. Up until the point that the massive dome had ruptured, Hisagi believed Tousen's _bankai _to be inescapable. And his failed attempts to escape did a great deal to strengthen his faith in that insurmountable belief.

Now... he could only wait for Tousen to finish him.

_Ba-dump._

There was a dull vibration, he could feel it in the soles of his feet. Something slammed into his right arm, and he felt himself falling...falling...

With a gasp, sound, sight, smell, and taste returned to him. His first sight was that of a great, imposing shadow, taller than greater than, even that of Zaraki Kenpachi, who of course immediately came to mind.

"K-Komamura Taichou?!"

"Rest easy, Hisagi." With one hand, he blocked Mashiro and Hisagi completely, making it all to clear that _he_ would be the one to do battle with the ex-captain. "I will continue the battle in your stead."

With a low growl, the seventh squad captain fixed his burning glare on his former comrade and friend. "Kaname! I will bring you back, _bound_ if I must."

The traitor showed no such hesitation.

"Very well then-

A chain wrapped around his blade suddenly. Hisagi, summoning the last of his strength, yanked on the chain of Kazeshini, dragging Suzumushi from Tosen's startled grip.

With one final tug, he tossed the blade backwards, allowing it to arc end over end, before ending up in the hands of Mashiro Kuna.

Blindly, Tousen groped for his blade, but too late, it was lost to him.

_"I truly am sorry, Kaname." _The Sajin rumbled, pointing Tenken directly at his former comrade, the latter suddenly stricken by the loss of his sword. "But since you are so set on this bloodsoaked path, I will return your senses to you, through the path of pain._"_ A red glow engulfed his form, his mouth parting to utter but one word as the immense shadow fell upon unseeing eyes.

"Bankai!" He roared, as the massive samurai loomed into view, the behemoth drawing it sword with a mighty rumble in obvious mimicry of its master.

"Kokojou Tengen Myou!"

--

"_Getsuga Tenshou!"_

The attack screamed forward, immediately disintegrating the nearby building as it tore through the air and slammed into the ground. Ichigo breathed harder as he felt his energy slip into the first stages of fatigue.

He growled in irritation at the thought, his voice bubbling slightly with his hollowed form. Kensei seemed to share the same thought, for he was the one to voice his ire:

"What the _fuck_ is going on here?"

"Dont'cha know?" With a small chuckle, Gin pullled on the cloth that wrapped about his arm. It fell away from his sleeve, revealing Shinso's _shikai _version, in addition to its bankai.

Ichigo swore and lunged for him, but he could already tell there wasn't going to be enough time.

"Shoot to kill, _Shinsou._"

The _wakizashi _stretched dramatically, the blade that was but two feet long a moment ago lengthening itself to stab at them from across the street. The spear-like zanpakuto shot forth at lightning-quick speed, the two vizards barely managing to dodge the attack. Ichigo leapt to the right and rolled behind the cover of some debris, whilst Kensei dove behind a dumpster, just as the long blade retracted back towards its spiraled hilt.

Ichimaru Gin's smile only broadened as two of Soul Society's great heroes hid like a pair of frightened children.

"S'matter boys?" He taunted over the insatiable din of his zanpaktou. "Ya scared?"

Kensei leaned into view and fired a retalitory _cero_, a _cero_which Ichimaru effortlessly swatted aside with the back of his hand, and into the skies above.

Gin was happy; everything had come together perfectly. He knew that the vizard team in the real world would make its way back to the battlefield once communications with Soul Society had been lost.

So Gin was extremely happy he and Aizen had taken the time to play with the Soul Society before they did arrive.

And once again, Hinamori Momo had only added to the chaos. The moment Fuura put of the flames of Yamamoto's prison, Hinamori had reacted exactly as Gin had predicted she would— she balled her fists into her black clothing and let the tears well in her eyes as she softly whimpered her former captain's name upon sight of him. It was sad really, very, _very_sad. She'd taken out at least three lieutenant's before Toshirou was finally forced to knock her out.

But if she hadn't possessed such an adoration for Aizen, well, then Ichimaru's little plan would have gone terribly awry.

And even then, with her worship of the former captain she'd still managed to surprise him— Ichimaru had been truly shocked when she'd lowered her sword against the boy-captain, thus allowing herself to be subdued. He was completely and absolutely prepared to watch Hitsguaya rip her apart while he sat back and enjoyed the show. But then again, he was certainly good at making lemonade out of a lemon.

After all, Ichimaru Gin _did _hate unhappy endings.

So when Hinamori Momo lowered her sword against Hitsugaya Toshirou, Gin had decided to finish the job he'd started on that warm summer night.

That is, until the vizard's chose that moment to arrive, thus spoiling his little game.

"Oh my," he called out into the empty air. "If I remember, the former captain of the ninth division was usually far braver than this. I wonder what he could be…" Kensei appeared behind him in a flash of _sonido, _causing Gin to whirl around and block. His smile widened as he looked down into the man's rage filled eyes.

"…Plannin' to do?"

Gin thrust his blade forward, causing Kensei to leap backwards into the sky. The silver haired vizard captain lifted his zanpakuto high into the air, tightly gripping the short handle with a fist.

"Eat it!"

Kensei swung his blade down towards Ichimaru on the ground, the zanpakuto releasing a massive, energy blast, easily double the size of the first. Ichimaru simply smiled as the flames roared towards him. He stepped back and lifted his left elbow so that it was level with his face. The blast was only a few feet away, threatening to swallow the white-clad shinigami when he lurched forward and thrust the short blade forward.

_Shinsou _shot forth into the mouth of the mas_, _the powerful extension splitting the giant swathe in half as it flew upwards toward the wielder. Kensei barely blocked the strike, the tip of Ichimaru's blade digging into his own as he held his zanpakuto horizontally despite the immense pressure it placed on his arms.

Then Ichigo erupted out of the shunpo, slamming Zangetsu into the wazikashi with enough force to visibly startle him, and spare Kensei in the process.

The vizard flicked his wrist, causing the chain that was attached to the base of his sword to swing upwards and wrap around and hook in his index finger. Now he cracked the blade like a whip, using the spin to make its trajectory unperd. Gin chuckled slightly as he saw the tactic, admittedly he was rather put off by it. He quickly retracted the deadly spear, the ice splintering and falling off as the blade began to inexplicably shrink.

With the _wakizashi _returned to its normal length, Ichigo shot forth in a blast of _shunpo, _greatly lessening the distance between the two swordsmen. When he reappeared, he was less than fifteen feet from Ichimaru, his hand already swinging forward as the blade released another wave of dark light. Gin hardly moved as the Kuroi Getsuga materialized. It smashed into the spot where the former captain stood, the entirety of its fire spreading out over the street and devouring everything in sight.

But the strawberry had only a moment to catch his breath before Gin materialized out of a _shunpo _above him. The tenth vizard snapped his head up in shock as the ever-smiling face looked down on him, the _wakizashi _in his hands once more pointed at him.

Gin's rarely seen ruby-colored eyes opened and glared at the boy as S_hinsou _launched forward and into his left shoulder.

Ichigo was sent plummeting towards the ground as _Shinsou _pinned his flesh to the earth. Ichimaru was almost twenty feet above him, but still his zanpakuto kept an insurmountable amount of force on him. He groaned in pain as he once more threw his sword forward, releasing another Getsuga. The blast travelled ferociously up Gin's sword, the former captain slightly taken aback at the amount of power that held his blade in place. He tried to remove his zanpakuto from the rising flow, but _Shinsou _was held fast.

Within seconds, the Kuroi Getsuga rammed into Ichimaru, throwing the traitorous shinigami into the air, the flames spreading over his lean body. After the wave had exploded upon him, it had released his sword and allowed him to draw it back from the flesh of the vizard below him. Ichimaru, slashed _Shinsou _forward, removing the ice and water that had accumulated on his clothing. He lowered himself to the ground, panting slightly as he faced the vizards'.

"Goodness," he said in his ever-condescending tone, unconsciously aware of the fatigue he himself was beginning to feel. "An' here I thought we were just plain' around."

"Shut yer ass up." Kensei had long since lost his mask, and Ichigo looked as if he was on the breaking point as well.

"Oi, Kensei." He could barely make out the other's voice. "I'm....getting tired."

"Damnit." He spit again. "Shut yer piehole Ichigo." He doubled over suddenly, hacking up blood from a punctured kidney. "Ugh...I've got about one more burst left in me."

Ichigo chuckled, but it was weak.

"Whaddya say then? One more time?"

"I said, Shut yer ass up." Kensei wheezed, taking a staggering step forward, only to vanish moments later.

As expected, Gin retreated from the vizard, but when he reappeared, airborne, Ichigo was coming in from below.

Too close to dodge.

The deafening hiss of the serpents was silenced as Tensa Zangetsu found its mark, lopping off their heads before deftly retreating to its master.

And so they fought.

Wherever Gin reappeared, one of the duo was there to strike at him. Ichigo slashed as Kensei stabbed, but neither of the two could actually _land_a blow upon his body. After several strikes, the pair was able to sync up once more, but to no avail. Again Gin was able to either spin his way out of a double sword slash from his two opponents, or just disappear into another void as their swords clashed against each other's. Kensei suddenly fell out of the sky as Gin appeared behind him, a stream of blood falling from his back and off _Shinso_ as he dropped.

Ichigo was quick to take advantage of this sudden opening, his black _bankai _swinging forward as it once more released the red-tinged crescent blast. Kensei had only just fallen out of the way when the attack reached its target. Gin brought up his pike to block, but the _Getsuga Tenshou _proved far too powerful; his opponent had been too close when the attack was released and the momentum was pushing against him greatly. He swung his weapon, both of them, blade with gusto, splitting the opaque blast in two. The force of the shinigami's attack still took its toll on him, however— Gin was physically unharmed, but the force of the blow had sent him backwards through the hole in the wall and out into the night sky.

The sound of a _sonido _above him caused his head to snap up. Kensei Mugurama had appeared a few feet above Gin , flying backwards to keep pace with him as an already formed _cero _swirled from _Tachikaze's_ base and into his free hand.

"Die, you sonnova bitch!"

For the first time in the fight, Gin's face lost its pleasant smile.

The former captain grinned sadistically before thrusting his hand forward, the crimson blast raining down on Gin with a sonorously low roar. The former captain threw up his hands to block, but the attack was too well executed, too well timed. He was sent plummeting as the red beam propelled him to the ground.

The explosion from the _cero _sent debris flying in a massive column of smoke and earth as the walls surrounding the courtyard fell under the force of the blast. Kensei and Ichigo lowered themselves to the ground as the dust began to settle, both breathing heavily from the continuous assault they'd just participated in. Not only had Ichimaru kept on par with both of them at once, but he'd actually held the upper hand on numerous occasions. It felt good that they'd actually hit him this time.

"Think that got him?" Ichigo's voice returned as the mask remnants dissolved from his eyes.

Soft laughter was their answer.

"Oho! That actually stung a little!"

Ichigo muttered something else then, and Kensei started in surprise.

"Wha? Are you nuts?"

"Just do it!" Ichigo pleaded pointing at his abdomen. "It's the only way!"

"Hell no!" Kensei barked, Tachikaze returning to its sealed state, unable to maintain the transformation any longer. "I can't _stab_ you!"

"Can't or won't?!" Ichigo snarled, his tone darkening as with his visage. With one hand, he grabbed him by the collar. "Are you scared?! Huh?!"

Kensei fumed for a moment, then looked away.

All at once, the pieces came together.

"Is it...because of Mashiro?" It came out slowly, softly, surprised.

"SHUT UP!" Kensei hollered, losing himself the moment the name of his lieutenant spilled of the boy's lips. This little punk! He thought he just strut around with her and-and-and-

Before he could even control himself, Tachikaze found himself lodged up to his hilt, deep within the flesh and bone, of one stunned Kurosaki Ichigo.

Ichigo started in surprise, blood flecking his lips as the breath left him. He didn't think Kensei would actually do it, yet he had. But a small, weak smile pulled those lips into a weak smile, the reaitsu already beginning to build.

"Thanks."

His consciousness retreated, ready to wage for control of the new power that had begun to stir. He could sense his other self beginning to move, trying to assert his dominance, but this was something that could not be allowed.

Not now.

He barely even noticed when the blade flew through the smoke, skewering Kensei through the chest, then embedding itself in the wall. With a wet squelch, he slid down the wall, his eyes dull and lifeless as the wazikashi slid from his chest and his body crumpled to the ground. Ichigo lurched back in surprise, unable to believe it, that the man had seemingly died before his very eyes.

"Well," Gin calmly walked from the smoke and he did not look happy, 'That did hurt."

His normally perfect visage was in ruins, the calm countenance he generally kept had vanished without a trace. His uniform, while usually crisp with perfection, was tattered and disheveled. His hair was loose and dripping with perspiration as it hung in his face, more of the brown strands joining the one that was always dangling in front of his eyes. His left arm was burnt and bloodied up to the forearm, the hand belonging to the limb curled into a twitching fist.

Ichigo did all he could not to smile

"One down, one to go." Ichigo stared at him coldly, his fury increasing with every second, one hand grasping at the bleeding hole in his right pectoral. "Bastard." A grin, followed by a laugh, worked its way up his throat, his eyes returning to their distinctive golden black. "You're so gonna regret that-Nrgh!"

He winced as Shinso came from behind and struck him down. But something was wrong, Gin realized, as the vizard gripped the blade where it had pierced his heart, cementing it in his grip.

He couldn't pull it back.

Ichigo began to tremble, and soon that tremble became a violet spasm. All at once, his body exploded, and in that explosion, Gin managed to rip Shinso free.

"Oh?"

It, the creature, emerged from the smoke. It chuckled, flexing one hand into a fist. Reaching to its chest, it felt at the hole, its hollow hole, and grinned. He gave a low growl as he seemed to notice something was amiss here.

He had the mask, resembling more of a human skull, complete with a jaw joint and rounded forehead. From the back of the mask, four spike-shaped marks stretched, two of them stopping by the forehead, and the other two stretching past the eyes and teeth, going past his chin and joining with the marks on his chest. There were also small marks resembling a heart, but with the top and bottom open, extending from the inner corners of his eyes.

The mask's most prominent features were two long forward-pointing horns with black strips extending from their center towards the tips.

Ichigo extended a hand, and Zangetsu flew to him. With an audible pop, it landed back in his palm, creating a concussion force that shattered the nearby warehouse into a thousands fragments. Jamming the sparking pole into the ground, what was left of the debris dissolved.

**_"I'll kill you." _**He hissed,before disappearing in a burst of Sonido.

Gin brought up his short blade to block the powerful strike, blue sparks flashing as the pair of blades me with one another. Ichigo continued his onslaught, driving Ichimaru back with every strike. Gin frowned slightly; cracks were beginning to form on _Shinso's _blade.

"_Hadou 54_: _Soukatsui."_

A pair of red flames exploded into The hollow's gut, throwing him backwards into one of the buildings that surrounded them. Gin stood still for a moment, his hand still outstretched from the _kidou _spell. He wasn't happy. The time he'd spent in _Hueco Mundo _had been used for planning and formulating strategies. He'd hardly trained at all.

Ichigo, on the other hand, had improved drastically over the past few months. Where Gin would have been able to completely destroy him the first time they'd fought, he was currently having troubles. His _shunpo _had improved dramatically, as well as his control over his zanpakuto, not to mention that mask....

What the hell had happened?

Did his skill increase exponentially after every Arrancar he'd fought? Gin's mind ran through a checklist of data he'd skimmed over in _Las Noches— _Kurosaki _had _lost to Grimmjow twice, defeated a privaron espada, _lost_to Ulquiorra, been revived, and then summarily defeated Grimmjow Jaggerjack, and that was about all he knew. Now, most recently, he was able to fight with his mask on, exerting little effort.

Gin's brow furrowed slightly as he tried to see the reason for Kurosaki's sudden burst in strength.

The white-haired traitor smiled widely as he shrugged it off, throwing his right arm out as _Shinsou _flew forward. Ichigo, launching himself out of the rubble, stepped to the right and slashed his blade down as Gin's flew by him. He ran forward, his own blade pinning Gin's down as he ran down the lengthened _wakizashi. _Once more Gin's ruby eyes shot open as Ichigo Kurosaki leapt forward and slashed out at him, this time opening a large gash across his defenseless chest.

Gin staggered backwards, disbelief crossing his features as he looked down at the blood draining from his torso.

_How in the hell did he get me? _Gin looked up, his smile melting slightly as he looked at the vizard, who began to chuckle behind his mask.

**_"Whatsamatter?" _**Ichigo leered his tone strained, forced. **_"I thought you were gonna finish me?" _**It was difficult to move, to speak, to control the raw instinct of this form, let alone focus it on one person.

Power.

There was so much raw unrefined power, flowing through his veins like blood. He had to take it, direct it, control it, or he'd be more of a danger to his friends than a help. But it was difficult, so very difficult to both suppress his hollow and his deepest darkest desires at the same time, to focus on only one...

_What? _Gin realized something was amiss suddenly, as Ichigo stopped.

Two columns of earth erupted from the ground, then began surrounding the two of them. Three, four, of them now, and still Ichigo continued to laugh.

_**"Bout...damn....time...Kensei."**_

Kensei was still very much alive, now staggering his feet. The blow had been near fatal, and he probably had a collapsed lung, but still, the captain was somehow on his feet and coming straight at him. Gin froze at the sight of the massive weapon the ex-taichou wielded, all thought of defense leaving him.

A massive broadsword had become his weapon of choice, its slick, polished edge a sharp contrast to the blunt, diminutive combat knife of before.

From its hilt, green wisps of light shone, and they were the cause of the sudden and unnatural phenomenon, as where each strand of light touched, so too did another pillar rise

The eyes of his opponent were hardened upon him, the ex-captain pointing his blade forward at Gin, the tip reflecting bronze as the sun shone down upon it through the towers of stone.

_"Bankai." _He declared, brandishing his cherished sword with a flick of his wrist, bellying the weight of such a massive weapon. "_Tenrai, Tachikaze."_

Ichimaru's frown deepened as Kensei spoke the name of the attack, the heat of his breath swirling around his face in wispy strands.

_"Daichi Kangoku."_

Gin threw up his arms as the circle of earthen clay closed upon him, locking him inside of an enormous ball of ice. He was stuck inside the cage, unable to move so much as an inch not even a centimeter; Through the thin slit of his confines, he could see his opponent relax through the barricade. He grew angry as he realized that they had assumed victory, but still Ichigo came, raising Zangetsu high to finish what Kensei had started.

_I'm not losing to him, _he screamed inside of his own head as Ichigo advanced with that tireless stride. _Not now. Not after all I've sacrificed. Not after leaving Soul Society...._

But the hollow was not concerned with this. The enemy was before him, helpless, unable to move or resist. He had threatened Mashiro, she was in danger, Kensei was half dead, and _he_ was _pissed_.

**_"Die."_**.

The blade descended and blood sprayed like a crimson fountain...

**Next time:Fraccion vs. Vizards**


End file.
